a midnight encounter
by amy conner
Summary: Bruce Wayne cant get over his fear of bats and darkness and recently his obsession with a certain ex psychiatrist of arkham asylum.
1. Chapter 1

_**A midnight encounter **_

_Bruce shifted uneasily in his sleep. It had been days since he had been able to sleep well at night if at all. Lack of rest and recurring nightmares somewhat made his job as batman a tinge more difficult than it already was. It didn't do well at all to start hearing strange voices in the middle of a chase or having hallucinations while dealing with the joker or the cat woman. Joker's manic gleeful laugh was enough to make him loose his senses without having to deal with strange visions. He was having one of those right now. _

_He shifted from one angle to another, breaking in cold sweat in his semi consciousness before opening his eyes in horror, now fully awake. He sat up in a sitting position, panting a little. His mind was till unfocussed, trying to recover from the strangeness of the dream. He looked about himself and for the first time he noticed his room was extremely dark, as dark as the night. _

_It couldn't be he thought I came home about before dawn. It has to be morning at least if not noon he reasoned. But the room remained dark. His heart was beating a bit faster. He couldn't fathom why. It was probably because he had never been in a situation when he felt so out of control. He felt that now, in his own bedroom. He very slowly got off the bed and moved towards the nearest window. The drapes were still drawn. It was evident Alfred hadn't been in the room. He touched the soft blackish red silk with his trembling hands. Something about the way they hung loosely gave him a feeling of misgiving. He jerked the curtain aside and windows opened up in more dark nothingness. Suddenly he heard the familiar sound, flap of wings and before he could react thousand bats came in through the window starching his face attacking his body all over. He yelled out in pain, his lips mouthing a terrified yelp. After all the years of training nothing could have prepared him for this. He went down on his knees, trying unsuccessfully to use his hands to cover his head from the flying rodents' attacks._

"_**They are not real**__" he heard a voice, cold and distant, but coming from someplace close. He didn't dare to look up for a while but the silence was unnerving so he did. The room was still dark but the bats were gone, like they weren't there at all. But someone else was. He was sitting comfortably in his armchair; his 90lbs body almost drowning in that expensive leather. The expression on his face was hard to read but not his eyes. They still glowed with evil passion in the midst of emptiness like a dragon's treasured sapphire. _

_Bruce stood up, shaking and speechless. He looked directly at the intruder who was now visibly chuckling. Unlike the joker's manic laughter, this giggle held an element of sanity even though its owner wasn't. That made it even more terrifying. _

"_I always wondered what made the bat-man afraid" his voice drawled "now I know" he chuckled once again. _

"_What are you doing here? How did you get in here?" Bruce asked him stupidly. _

" _oh the same questions …. But you didn't ask me the most important question"_

"_which is?"_

"_**How did I know you, the prince of Gotham is the batman**__"_

_Bruce blinked a little realizing the truth in his statement. He was tempted to ask but somehow he felt the man wanted him to ask and he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how nonplussed he felt around him. So he remained quiet, glaring in the darkness. _

_The voice sounded amused if not skeptical when it spoke next _

"_Don't push yourself so much Bruce . Don't injure your brains more than you have to. Ok I will tell you. Consider it a gift from an old friend"_

_The giggle again. _

"_**You told me Bruce**__"_

"_It's a lie. I never even met you as Bruce Wayne" Bruce yelled forgetting he just confessed to being the illegal vigilante. _

"_Of course you didn't Bruce. After all we never actually socialized in the same circle." His voice was skeptical and sarcastic now. It was oddly cold and foreign. _

"_But the batman and I have something in common dont we? _

"_We don't" he screamed once again._

"_Of course we do. We both had difficult childhood. Both project anger in different ways. We both needed to hold someone responsible for our woes. We both made them and overcompensated with something else"_

'_I never killed anyone" _

"_But you wanted to do you? You were one step away from becoming one of them, one of us but you did make them pay. You took them down one by one." His voice sounded a bit awed. _

"_I knew the batman had to have some sort of troubled past. No one would venture into that life so willingness unless he was a total nut case which you are of course. Its my professional opinion" he grinned " but he had to be wealthy too, who else could have access to state of art technology without having money? You know men have generally very low IQ. They should have figured it out when the batman first appeared" _

_Bruce listened to all the psycho babble in stunned silence. He realized how accurate his observation was and how freakishly intelligent he was. He looked at him once again and sighed. _

_With brains like that he could have done great things he mused. He looked at him straight in the eye and asked _

"_why are you here tonight ?what do you want from me?money ? blackmail?"_

"_You don't get it do you Bruce? Don't you know why I am here?" the Doctor's voice had softened and sounded so oddly unlike his own._

_Bruce felt a sudden movement in the darkness. __**Jonathan crane**__ had gotten up from his chair. He could feel him standing very close to where he was standing. He could almost smell his after shave. It smelt of a meadow. His heart began to pound faster when he felt him come closer and closer towards him. Now he could smell his hair as well. His hair was deeply intoxicating. He was torn between his urge to move away from the mad man and to grab him by his hair. But somehow he felt he was the one in control. _

_The voice spoke_

"_You don't get it. Do you Bruce?" his voice was painfully soft now. He felt a soft delicate hand brushing his cheeks and he felt himself immediately burning with desire. _

"_Yes" he could barely get the word out when he felt soft luscious mouth crushing into his. He felt his entire body, every inch reacting to the touch. He grabbed him by the waist and kissed him back, his body aching painfully with desire. He stumbled backwards as Jon's kiss became more and more forceful, his mouth and teeth biting, caressing and injuring him at the same time. He felt himself being pushed by the slight framed psychopath, into his bed. The relentless kissing continued. He could only moan in pleasure. He could feel himself completely at the mercy of the doctor who was now nibbling at his ears uttering sweet nothings. He pulled him closer to his chest, feeling Jonathan's pulse and beat. Suddenly his leg hit something, probably the bed lamp and it crushed with a huge thud. _

"_I am so sorry" Jonathan said but his voice sounding different. _

_Bruce forced himself to open his eyes and immediately felt blinded by the daylight. _

"_I am sorry master Wayne, I seem to have broken your bed lamp" Alfred announced. _


	2. provoked

1 A midnight encounter chapter 2

Provoked 

_Bruce couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Alfred standing amidst the morning sunrays, holding a tray, looking extremely guilty for some reason. His mind went blank for a few seconds__**. I was with Jonathan **__he thought still gaping at Alfred foolishly. __**How did he come in here? Where is Jonathan **__he wondered jerking his head around to see if the good doctor was hiding somewhere. Finding no one else in the room he sat up in his bed, confused and still in a daze. _

_If Alfred found this behavior erratic he didn't show it. Of course he had seen his share of madness from the billionaire who also went by the name batman so sitting up in bed and looking around stupidly for some unknown thing or someone wasn't new to the old butler. He gently put his tray down on the bed side table and stooped down to pick up the last remains of what had been his young master's bed side lamp. This movement provoked something in Bruce. _

_No sooner the man had stooped down to pick the trash Bruce jumped up in his bed in real alarm his eyes bulging out. _

_**I had been dreaming. I had been bloody dreaming about crane **__he mused, terrified. __**What is stranger? That I should be dreaming about a man who is a criminal or the fact I thought the dream was real? **__Bruce murmured in his head miserably. He buried down his head in his giant pillows hoping they would eat him up which of course they didn't. _

"_Master Wayne" Alfred interrupted his suicidal thoughts. He didn't raise his head at all, remained hidden behind the pillows. _

"_Is something bothering you? Do you need someone to talk to?" Alfred's voice was now full of worry. The only person Bruce was able to connect with at some level after his parent's death was Rachel Dawes. But the joker had made sure they never talked again. _

_Bruce slowly repositioned himself trying to get a grip on himself. _

"_No thank you Alfred. I have had a long night. Didn't realize it was morning." His own words sounded incoherent even to himself. _

_Alfred didn't respond. Something was bothering Bruce. But something was stopping him from opening up. Alfred didn't press. He hoped that peace would come eventually to the tortured kid and he would be able to cope with whatever demons he was fighting with now. Saddened at the thought he picked up the tray and left noiselessly without reminding him about breakfast or the board meeting. _

_Bruce got up and went to the windows. __**It felt so real. Why did it feel so real? I distinctly remember the fragrance of his cologne…. The kisses felt so real **__his inside hurt with these tortured thoughts. He looked at the sky. It was crystal clear for once, beaming with sunrays. Not surprisingly it reminded him of someone. A painful yelp left his throat as he felt his knees buckle and he felt himself kneeling on the floor sobbing quietly. _

_**What have you done crane. What did you do to me? **__He sobbed _

_**Is this the punishment for spraying you with your won fear toxin? Is this my retribution? That I should be spending the rest of my life wondering? What did you use this time you little psychopath? **__Bruce silently screamed. _

_**What was it? **__He was actually laughing at this point. __**Joker joker joker **__he chuckled to himself __**I really now do see the funny side. The man I had despised for so long is intruding my life and I cant even tell whether it was a dream or was real. **__He was hysterical. Nothing could hold back his emotions now. Tears ran down his face as he remembered Rachel. Sweet Rachel…smart Rachel…Rachel who believed him harmony. …. His life had come to a standstill after her death …. _

_**Now I am dreaming about your assailant **__he laughed once nodding his head. His vision had gone blurry and now all he could see was crane's smirking face. He was having the time of his life, some secret that only he knew and no one else. _

_Bruce stopped laughing at looked at what was a mirage. _

_**Tell me you bastard what did you do to me **__he yelled at nothing wiping his tears away. He stared at the wall where he imagined Jonathan to be. _

"_**Bruce" **__a voice in his head quietly said__** "don't fight it anymore. I provoked something in you Bruce I admit. And it's not going to go away. If you want it to stop or want to understand or continue with this feeling, something you haven't felt since Rachel died, you know what you have to do. After all who can ignite your mind and body at the same time? " it**__ chuckled. _

_Bruce looked up at the blue clear sky, gritted his teeth and swore _

_**I know what I have to. When I do I hope you deliver DR CRANE. You won't want batman to hold you for mal practice. **_

Ok guys this chapter is dedicated to the ones who put this story on author alert. When I wrote the story I meant it to be a one shot thing. But evidently there is a lot I can do with it or so you expected. So this chapter is for you. Let me see where this one goes, and then I can decide whether to continue with this story or write a sequel as I originally planned. Hugs and kisses to you all.

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	3. we meet again

Chapter 3 

The morning wasn't didn't look promising. Neither did it look inviting enough to venture into a new project. The sky was overcast, the clods dark and dreary ; everything about the day made the people of gotham find an excuse to stay in bed , and call in sick at work. Not Bruce. "_**I don't need a bright, sunny day for what I have in mind**__" _he thought bitterly as he stood alone, in front of his huge French windows, looking out at the city, just a tinge out of his reach. His jaws were set in hard lines, all his previous vulnerability gone & he looked as if he hadn't had a good night's sleep in days, which of course he didn't. Dark purple circles were beginning to form underneath his eyes ; his sudden loss of weight finally had begun to show. His bimbo socialite friends were beginning to wonder if the billanaire playboy wasn't doing drugs now, which he didn't bother to correct. The speculation suited him fine. The truth was much harsher, scandalous than the rumors. He was fine with the ruse.

He silently put on his suit, the one he wore for work, his mask. His true mask, the one he wore, for the world to see. His designer clothes, the Chanel perfume, the Lamborghini, they were all part of his mask. Weren't they? He kept his true self well hidden, the batman part of him was who he was & he preferred to stay in the shadows.

"_**And now crane is messing everything up. He wants to expose who I am, what I am**__" _thought Bruce suddenly panicked. **"**_**For years I have kept myself well hidden, behind my shadow self, now crane is on the verge of exposing me. I can't let that happen." **_

"_**Would it be too bad Bruce? A tiny voice in his head inquired, would it be too bad to finally admit you aren't Bruce Wayne? You are batman? Bruce Wayne is only a facade? A farce? Would it be too bad to admit, you are split into two, just as your feelings and morals are? Why so scared?"**_The voice chuckled as brace tried in vain to ignore it and tie his shoe laces. _**I don't hear his voice, he isn't here. He isn't here. He isn't here. He isn't here. **_

At this point he lost it again, and started screaming, curling up in a ball. He was still sobbing quietly when he heard footsteps in the doorway. _**Oh my god Alfred, I can't let him see me like this **_he bit into his own arm and screamed silently again. When the old butler finally walked in , he found the room in disarray , but Bruce was all dressed up , calm and composed , even nonplussed. It didn't fool the wide old man, but didn't say anything. He gently put down the tray, looked at his child sadly and went away. There were times; there was only so much he could do.

It was past 11 o clock when Bruce parked the car outside the huge iron gates. The place itself was enough to give anyone the chills. From the uniformed guards to the gray buildings, the brooding compounds, to the men and women in white coats, and the unseeing eyes in expressionless faces, fathomless wonderment, everything about the max security cell at Barmouth was a test of ones's character and mental strength and , only a few passed. Fortunately Bruce Wayne wasn't an ordinary man. He had to pull a number of strings and, lie through his teeth to get him an hour's visit with a max cell inmate. It was highly illegal and prohibited, but a few could say no to the most powerful man in the world.

So very reluctantly they guards walked him through the usual protocol, made him sign a waiver, and led him up to a padded room with two chairs and a table in it. It was evidently a makeshift waiting room, as noone was allowed visitors here. He sat down quietly, his adrenaline pumping, his expensive suit was now drenched in his own suit. The time tinker quietly, like it messing with him. Seconds seemed like hours, when they brought him in, the man who had been tormenting him for days, probably months now. _**The skinny devil looks even thinner **_Bruce thought as he looked him right in the eyes. Blue eyes stared back. He was shackled; his brown hair was tussled across his forehead, full mouth still curled up in a superior sneer. But nothing in his expression gave him away. There was nothing in his countenance or disposition. But Bruce knew the truth. He knew how capable DR CRANE was at tormenting people , and enjoying it while he was at it. And he was more than capable of doing it from a cell.

"_**DR CRANE" **_Bruce growled in his batman voice_** "so we meet again" **_

"_**I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. You know, you are meant to come to me" **_crane snickered. He quietly made his way to Bruce , and leaned in , making Bruce stiffen immediately. "_**I knew you would come" **_


	4. AU revoir

Au revoir 

"_Why_" Bruce yelled silently.

"_Why what_?" crane's voice sounded genuinely surprised. It might have been convincing; if not for the slight amusement in it.

"_Why are you messing with my head_?" Bruce growled in crane's ears, leaning in. he used his best batman voice, quite forgetting he wasn't in his Kevlar.

Crane grinned. His smile was disarming, as opposed to his usual sneer. It lit up his, very blue eye. For a moment, his face took on the look of utter glee, deluding Bruce into believing, he was looking at the joker, and not the scarecrow. The smile was gone in a second though.

"_When did I mess with you? See I am locked up here, so far away from the madding crowd"_ he hooted in silent laughter. _"If you are seeing things , or hearing them , maybe we need a private consultation?"_ . He ended with a question mark, sneering a little.

Bruce gave up. _It was no use talking to this man_, he thought miserably. _He has decided to turn me in a nut job , just like himself. And the good doctor that he is , he is actually succeeding. _Bruce wanted to yell , pull some hairs , his own or crane's , didn't matter. He wanted to hurt someone very badly. But something in him, some primal instinct of survival, screamed at him, urging him not to do it. It reeked of suicide. And Bruce had no intention of doing so. Instead he tried another tactic.

"_how did you know who I was crane? Did you just assume it ? are you that smart?"_

"_I am smart, yes, but I never spent my time deciding who suited best for the role of the batman. You were the only choice. I didn't __**know **__until you showed up here today, in all your pretentious glory"_

"_so you weren't in my dreams ? smugly telling me about how you knew about my idenity ? and how you and I aint really different ? and hen you ..you ….." _he broke off, embarrassed. He couldn't possibly tell Jon , he had been having dreams about him , seductive ones at that.

"_I what ? kissed you ? seduced you ?" _

"_how….what….why _?" Bruce now grabbed up by his collar and pulled him up , so they were face to face _"why were you intruding my dreams ?" _

"_I think we should keep that for another session. Mean while I suggest you read the interpretations of dreams by Freud." _Crane grinned again _" it can put some light on the matter" . _ with that he pressed the buzzer on the table , and two orderlies promptly came in , and took him away. He looked back one last time before saying

"_Read it MR. Wayne, I know you will enjoy it" _


	5. all rainbows and sunshine

_Bruce was dreaming again. _

_This time he knew he was dreaming, because there was no way in hell, he would he would be doing what he was doing right now. It made it worse though. He didn't seem to wake up. A part of him, however knew, that he didn't really want to wake up. It was so perfect. A sunset, a yacht, the sound of water splashing against its rims, he could almost smell the salty flavor of the sea, even in his dream. And he could smell something else too, a musky natural fragrance, that represented its diabolical owner. He could smell the smell the perfume on her, the perfume that defined the man; he was holding his arms, as if he never wanted to let him go. _

_Bruce definitely was dreaming. _

_But he could feel the soft touches of his luscious mouth on his own, his tongue teasing him ceaselessly, as if daring him to defy him. He could feel blue eyes, penetrating him, leaving him bare naked. Not that he minded, a tiny voice in his head snickered. He could feel him, on his lap, touching his soft curls. His brown mane seemed so soft in his hands. He knew, it was like touching a dangerous animal, however beautiful he might be. But he loved that danger, the danger of knowing the man who had terrorized the Gotham city not a while ago, and had ripped him apart. _

_He also loved being on the other side of midnight, poetically speaking. The fact that a known womanizer and a big time flirt like him had fallen for a guy, every one hated and feared, held the ultimate thrill for him. Even in his dreams, he chuckled at the thought of being an outcast. _

_Bruce felt the rims of his glasses on his eyes, the bridge, the thick lens, the gave the good doctor , am awe impairing look. He could almost hear the man snarl, as he knew, he was almost blind without them. There was nothing to stop Bruce from leaning in and kissing the mouth that had twisted itself in an angry and unpleasant curl. _

_The salty water splashed on his face again, making him wet. Only it didn't taste salty. It tasted , like the first drop of rain. He opened his closed eyes with a jerk , and woke up in his room , rain drizzling outside. _

Fuck, he thought as he gathered his wits about, I am going to read Freud today. This can't go on.


	6. Pensive

Pensive 

Okay this chapter (next will be too) is based on the valuable inputs provided by one of the reviewers _**"**__**Halberdier".**_ I used all of your advices and your thoughts. Hope you all will like this 

Bruce looked moodily out of the window, thinking. The sky looked grey, which wasn't unusual. The city was thick with industrial smog. As much as he loved the environment, Bruce didn't have any idea; how to cope with this. But for the time being, for his selfish reasons, that was least of his worries. He looked across the city, a slight crease, marked his forehead, as he sat there, and lost in thought.

_Why is this happening to me? Why am I acting this way? _

He wondered. He had been having nightmares since he was 6 yrs old, since the day his parents died. He hadn't slept a wink, peacefully since then. It always had been two recurring dreams: giant bats, & him falling into an abyss, trying to hold on to his father's arms, but failing to keep the grip. This could be attributed to the insecurities of his childhood, and the trauma of growing up; without his parents. It's been several years. In fact, it's been several years, since he had made his appearance as Batman. He had hoped to find his night terrors gone. But they hadn't. They were replaced by something new each day. But he had been able to cope with that. What he couldn't do in his sleep, he overcompensated in real life; i.e. by beating the hell out of the crooks that terrorized his city.

_But about this dream about Crane _he thought uncomfortably _why is these making me react the way it has? Seems like am falling apart? What is it? A new toxin of sorts? I don't recall Crane, spraying me with anything. Why the hell, do I find myself splitting into halves? _He got up from his leather chair, got hold of his ash tray, and threw it angrily across the table. It slid smugly, along the tiles, and rested at the edge of the closet.

Bruce sank back in his chair, his anger eating him away.

_I almost came out, exposed myself to Crane. CRANE. There had to some explanation. _ That thought made him smirk inwardly. _The person who, could have explained this weird reaction to me in plain words, articulately, is the man who is causing all this. _He laughed silently, a bitter groan left his throat. _But I do need to talk to someone. Alfred? Or lucius ? _

To be continued 


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